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 Coach Herb Brown on the importance of defense in a player's development
Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs). Rasheed Wallace (Detroit Pistons). Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks). Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers). They are among a handful of NBA players who are recognized for their defensive skill sets. Ask Coach Herb Brown and he'll tell you that defense is the toughest thing a player will be asked to do.
Coach Brown, who has more than 40 years of coaching experience, says the good players – the ones who "take on the challenge" to play the great players every game – deserve more credit than they get in a sport where offense dominates the highlight reels.
If you want good defense, it must be taught. That means a coach must be a good teacher, believe in teaching defensive principles, and structure his or her practices and drills to emphasize the importance of defense. As for the player, Coach Brown says you don't have to be a great athlete to play defense, you just have to be concentrated, focused and determined.
For younger athletes, youth coaches must break defense skills down to the fundamentals. The focus must be on how to stand, lateral and forward movement, and to how to keep a player in front of you. The most difficult thing about playing defense is that you are moving backward at the same time you are trying to stop somebody from moving forward. That's why there must be an emphasis on footwork, balance, quick movement and keeping the ball in front of you. OC
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After more than 40 years in the game, Herb Brown knows a little about how it works. While coaching in places like Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Portland, Herb has had a front row seat to both the physical and mental sides of the game. Today, he is an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats. |
